Imagine you flew a Supermarine Spitfire out of an Allied base during World War II. Easy enough for most guys, even some gals, right? Now imagine you did a belly landing in one of those famous fighters and a flight surgeon from base captured the event on film. After the war, you and Doc visit, but lose touch decades later. You still remember the film, but you never saw it and after hearing of Doc’s death, you assume it’s MIA.

How, then, would you react when Doc’s descendants eventually contact you and show up at your home with the long-missing footage? If you’re John S. Blyth, you’re pretty darn surprised; to see his reaction and the fantastic story behind it, watch SPITFIRE 944, a Sundance Film Festival short film you won’t soon forget.

And speaking of Spitfires, watch for Flight Journal’s special issue “Spitfire” to arrive at local newsstands soon. It’ll be a keeper!

16 Comments

This was a great story to say the least. What history you were able to re-live with this gentleman. It kind of reminds me of my Uncle that flew B-26’s. He is still alive, and everytime I am around him I am mesmorized at the stories he tells of his bombing missions.

I wish I could take credit for the story, but the kudos should go to the film’s narrator and crew; those guys not only preserved and researched Doc Savage’s old footage, but they’re his descendants! BTW, may I make a suggestion? You can do the same thing with your uncle; the next time you two meet, bring a video camera along (or a digital audio recorder at least) and record his experiences for posterity. As you can imagine, we’re losing war vets every day, so doing such a thing would not only preserve his memories for you and the rest of the family, but you’d also be doing history a great service!

A wonderful story, indeed. Every time I see something like this, I get the feeling I was born one generation too late. I have to take issue with the term “belly-up landing”, though. I think you probably meant to say “wheels-up”, which would result in far less damage to the airplane and pilot.
Cheers, and thank you, John S. Blyth for your service.

Wow! This blows me away. If Spits could fly to Berlin then WHY didn’t the Generals put drop-tanks on them to support our bombers like P-51’s?
Would the drop tanks equal the wing leading edge gas tanks in capacity? Could the “long-wing” version of the Sit have been modified for the escort role I wonder? What a great video!

Wow. Such dedication to bringing closure to something so dear as a memory ” I wonder what happened to that guy…” Thank you for sharing this moment with such clarity, such a feeling. It is they who gave their lives for us. Somewhere we fly on our thoughts of those who were young and in the heat of a moment, simply got lost in time. This has brought, so clearly, the moments and days few will ever know. The smell on cut grass, aviation fuel and oil brings so much flooding back. Thank you